Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by David Avallone
Illustrated by Dave Acosta
Coloured by Morgan Hickman
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
It was a time of unspeakable evil, and a time of incorruptible heroes. The world danced on the precipice of Apocalypse, and into the dawn of a new epoch of wonders. Fascism and Democracy were slowly rising to meet one another in the greatest clash history had ever known.
It was the crucible of mankind, and all would be judged.
It was an age of dreams, and an age of nightmares.
It was the time of DOC SAVAGE.
Good golly miss Molly this sure is super swell! I mean that too because the way that David took the approach to writing this is off the charts fantastic. This is firmly planted in the original timeline of World War II and the way people speak and act are reflected in that. There’s nothing cheesy about it, it doesn’t feel forced or unnatural it rings right and true. It really does make me long for the days when swearing wasn’t done and language was an artform instead of all this slang and gratuitous foulness in the common tongue.
David’s depiction of the cast here is amazing as well. To see the way each one is represented whether they be higher educated or low brow as it were their personalities shine in how they speak. There’s a simple kind of elegance to the way this is written that not only harkens back to a simpler time but reminds us that this kind of behaviour doesn’t have to be out of fashion. A conscious effort to clean up the way we speak and act goes a long way. Still it’s fun to see here and remember that there was a time when we spoke and dressed like civilised folk.
Ah Dave’s interiors here really do go with the words so well. You can see the attention and care he put into this story to make it match the era it’s set in. I’ve been a fan of his work but this shows of a different kind of skill set that shows off diversity and a range of talent that we hadn’t seen yet. The use of page layouts through their angles, perspective and use of backgrounds continues showing us his eye for storytelling. The look and feel of what we see is amazingly well done and just the way the linework comes across really sets this apart for me. Then what he Morgan do with that full page battleship spread just cements that feeling you get from strong artwork.
The way this story is structured could very easily put it in league with the old time radio or movie serials they did back in the day. It’s expressive, fun and full of that look at a future world that didn’t exist yet. All the while the threat of war and what they all have to go through is front and center for us to see. Coincidentally very much akin to our present state of world affairs, it’s too bad that this too must recycle as do clothing trends. Though let’s be honest dressing to leave the house, see being presentable, will never come back in fashion not with sweatpants and flip flops for sale.
Fun, inventive and a complete modern throwback, by that it’s a throwback to another time that still represents our present, this is the kind of action/adventure storytelling that puts modern movies to shame.